Posted March 31, 2005: Somewhere, somehow,
you’ve heard of CSA – Community Supported Agriculture.
It’s a style of bringing farmers and eaters together
that includes enough variety to fit many different settings,
seasons and sensibilities.

To fill in any of your CSA information gaps, we’ve
collected our related stories: what we think is the conclusive
history of the movement’s birth in North America; stories
by CSA farmers from California and Wisconsin throughout last
year’s growing season; features on great CSA operations;
and, for your direct connecting to farmers close to you, our
Farm Locator’s list of CSA farm profiles from around
the country.

If you're a consumer, you'll be delighted by the profiles
of creative, dynamic farm families around the country who
are working hard to bring you the best local produce, and
a great experience. If you're a farmer, you'll get lots of
great advice and insights into how to run a CSA--and you'll
need all the help you can get. As Harmony Valley CSA farmer
Linda Halley once said, CSA farming is graduate level farming
because you have to balance the demands of customers, marketing,
a complex distribution system, and a challenging planting
schedule for dozens of crops.

Note to consumers: Many
CSA members have already paid their CSA farmer for some or
all their season’s food by now, and are eagerly awaiting
weekly eating of what’s in season. But many of these
farms still have room to add new members, and would welcome
the opportunity to fill out their roster to meet their anticipated
production of vegetables, fruits, pastured poultry, grass-fed
meat and artisan cheeses.

It’s also planting time for farm families in most of
the US, so be patient as they scurry for their customer-service
hats to get you the information and attention you need to
start your CSA relationship.

The
History of Community Supported Agriculture, Part II.
CSA’s World of Possibilities When Steven
McFadden first wrote about CSAs back in 1990, there were
about 60 CSAs in the country. Now in 2004, he says, there
are around 1,700 ... and he sees a strong potential for
another wave of CSA development, a wave that could not only
triple or quadruple the number of CSAs over the next few
years, but also raise in importance the role these farms
play in their communities.

FARMING
FOR CREDIT At colleges and universities across
the country, students are finding--and founding--opportunities
to make sustainable agriculture part of a well-rounded education.
Many go on to farm organically in real life. Many of the
farms run CSAs (see below).

Student
Farms Directory: A total of 48 farms in 25
states (and 1 province) currently listed! Many of these
student-run farms are CSAs.

March
31, 2005: Thinking out of the box
As any CSA farmer will attest, waxed boxes can be a major
expense. Andy and his crew have found a local solution that
reduces their dependence on box makers who may have to toast
their profits with slightly less expensive champagne.

March
15, 2005: And the moral of the story is... Andy's
telling his CSA members bedtime stories. No, the stress
hasn't finally gotten to him, it's the first newsletter
of the season and there is a moral to this story--keep the
boxes neat, clean and folded; don't forget to tell us when
you're away; and, last but not least, enjoy the connection
between country and city.

February
22, 2005: Spring flowers bring me down ... Andy's got
the early season nerves. What if his overwintered carrots
bolt before his CSA season starts in late March? Most of
his neighbors start later, but he thinks it's worth the
risk ... and the nerves.

February
10, 2005: Just kidding around Andy's goats might look
like an expensive hobby on paper, but they keep the poison
oak under control, entertain the human CSA kids and prevent
Andy from pummeling the occasional penny-pinching market
customer.

January
27, 2005: Blame it on the boyfriend Disappearing CSA
boxes. Vanishing flowers. Missing strawberry containers.
Can it all be laid at the feet of ignorant or irresponsible
boyfriends and husbands, or are men just a convenient excuse?
Andy ponders some of the profound mysteries of running a
CSA.

January
7, 2005: A very dairy New Year Life slows down at Mariquita
and, as another year begins, Andy reminisces about the 42
hours of exhausted delirium on a fateful New Year's Eve
that inspired him to farm vegetables.

November
9, 2004: Farm wife meets mother earth As Julia tours
Italy and hobnobs with farmers from all over the world at
the Terra Madres conference in Turin, Andy is left to the
job of farm wife--a post he just can't seem to get a handle
on. Julia's networking pays off, though, and now that she's
back, Andy can breath a sigh of relief.

September
13, 2004: Pardon my Padróns … Andy is still
working out the details of how to harvest his Spanish Padrón
peppers before they get too hot. When he succeeds, the $20
per pound he fetches may finance a second honeymoon back
in Spain … speaking of hot.

March
4, 2004: Guerilla garlic Battling the influx of cheap
Chinese garlic—even in to Gilroy, the “Garlic
Capital of the World”—Mariquita Farm grows green
spring garlic, and banks its garlic dollars long before
the garlic festival in July.

May
12, 2003: How do you define YOUR CSA?CSA
is such a loose concept that you can make yours whatever
you want it to be, as long as there's a community to support
the concept. Try to characterize what you're about in 5
short phrases. It will be the beginning of a press release
about your farm.

November
9, 2004: Serving CSA members better As the CSA season
draws to a close, the Harmony Valley team brainstorms about
ways to boost member retention from year to year—and
to encourage former CSA members to become faithful farmers'
market customers.

The
Apprentice It’s not just a way to trump
up cheap labor, says Brookfield Farm’s manager, but
a committed partnership that requires a real investment
from both farmer and student. (To study the history of Brookfield
Farm, on the outskirts of Amherst, Mass., is to chart the
course of the CSA movement itself. It's the third community
supported farm ever to be established in the U.S.)

Scaling
up Ten years ago, Gabe Cox and Sophie Bello
had barely begun to think about farming. Today, they grow
vegetables and fruits on over 40 certified acres and sell
at 7 farmers' markets a week, in addition to managing a
CSA and wholesaling.

Not
just a farm, but a creative community Roy Brubaker,
his family, and six interns collaborate, innovate and share
labor, food and meaning on the Brubakers’ 30-acre
organic produce farm in western Pennyslvania.

Fertile
Minds Innovative MSU ag professor sows the
seeds for a new generation of organic farmers with a student
farm at Michigan State University in East Lansing, including
a CSA operation.

Thinking
small After two seasons at the Intervale, Spencer
and Mara Welton of Half Pint Farm are showing how much can
be done in a little space

A
different kind of community-supported farm
Forty-five minutes north of Chicago, the people at Prairie
Crossing are redefining the suburban housing development
to include ecological restoration, green building technologies,
and small-scale organic farming

In
praise of country life In rural Adair County,
Iowa, a birthplace museum, meeting center and organic farm
pay tribute to legendary ag secretary Henry A. Wallace by
keeping his rich legacy alive, not just as a memory but
as a vital living tradition, including a CSA.

New
farm dreams DO come true Maybe not the way
you thought they would. But with planning, persistence and
a little luck it is possible to get started in farming today.
NewFarm.org columnists Melanie and George Devault tell their
own story.

Looking for a CSA to join? Want to talk to another farmer
in your area already doing CSA? Use The
New Farm Locator. Just click
here and search "By marketing method". When
you choose CSA, you'll get a list of nearly 300 CSAs across
the country. Or, narrow the search to your region by entering
your state, county and zip code.